Massim Lime Spatula by Mutuaga, Suau Area, Dagodagoisu Village, Papua New Guinea, ca. 1880

Found at a flea market in Melbourne in the 1980s
Harry Beran, Sidney (accesion no. "HB865")
Marcia and John Friede, New York, acquired from the above
Sotheby's, New York, May 14, 2010, lot 90, consigned by the above
Acquired by the present owner at the above auction

Harry Beran, Mutuaga, a nineteenth-century New Guinea master carver, Wollongong, 1996, p. 216, pls. 50-51

Excellent condition overall; minor chips on rim of spatula, nicks and scratches, wear and tear from traditional handling; exceptionally fine lustrous dark brown patina with traces of red pigment and lime.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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An early Lime Spatula by the artist Mutuaga, ca. 1880

Harry Beran, Cambridge, March 2010

In my book on Mutuaga (Beran 1996), I attributed thirty-one anthropomorphic lime spatulas to him and since then another eleven have been located. The spatula offered here is almost certainly the earliest anthropomorphic spatula by Mutuaga known and was probably carved around 1880. It has a fine glossy patina and shows clear signs on its blade of having been used as a lime spatula.

In the book on Mutuaga, I tentatively attributed this spatula to him because of its stylistic similarity to other very early spatulas by him (especially that in pl. 52 in the book) and because it has the same oddly large nipples as a figure that can be attributed to Mutuaga with total confidence (pl. 84 in the book). The drum of drummer-figures is always carved free from the figure's body and could easily break off if not connected to it securely. On all other drummer spatulas by Mutuaga this is achieved by placing one hand on the drum's head, another on its side, and connecting both feet to it. On the spatula offered here, one of the hands is raised to the face, a typical position for both hands on Massim spatula figures, and Mutuaga, therefore, used a bracket to secure the drum to the body. Hence, I speculated in the book (pp. 75-76) that when he carved this spatula he had not yet solved how to anchor the drum to the figure securely and with full elegance.

Recently, Denis Dutton has found a drummer figure standing on a pedestal at the Ethnographic Museum in Antwerp (AE 72.14.158), which is clearly by Mutuaga and dates from the 20^th century. As the figure is in standing position, the drum could not be supported by the figure's feet. Therefore, the same bracket as on the present spatula is used once again. This is further support for the attribution of the present spatula to Mutuaga.

Mutuaga was active as a carver from the late 1870s to approximately 1920 and his carving style became increasingly naturalistic during this period. In the book on Mutuaga, the anthropomorphic spatula with the earliest provenance was collected in 1884 (pl. 52 in the book). Since then, a photograph of an almost identical drummer spatula, acquired by the Australian Museum in 1883, but now lost, has been located. It was published by F.D. MacCarthy in the Australian Museum Magazine in 1933, p. 8. On these drummer figures both hands are on the drum, obviating the need for a bracket. Therefore, the present spatula is almost certainly earlier. However, as it is an accomplished sculpture, it cannot be much earlier as Mutuaga was not born until about 1860.